Centrifugal casting apparatus



June 29, 1965 B. Y. COOPER ETAL 3,191,245

CENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 19, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR. $5. I H} I N 55470 )f Coons! ----I I 31: 1 BY Curroza M Aux/4E [:3 N

n A L Q41 W NU ATTORNEY June 29, 1965 COOPER ETAL 3,191,245

GENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 19, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

BEL T u Y 60 Currazo M. Luna ATTORNEY FIG .4

June 29, 1965 B. Y. COOPER ETAL CENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUS Y a m E Tu N m m7 R va 8 M m M a V 5 a. 50 Y B 90E Filed Feb. 19, 1962 June 29,1965 COOPER ETAL 3,191,245

CENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 19, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTOR.

fieu'ou Y 600 z CLIFFORD M LUUA ATTORN EY CENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUSFiled Feb. 19, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I H w INVENTOR.

Baum/v Y Coo/ 61? CL/FrazD M. LuuA gdyw ATTORNEY United States PatentOfiice $391,245 Patented June 29, 1965 3,191,245 CENTRIFUGAL CAS'HNGAPPARATUS Belton Y. Cooper, Mountain Brook, and (Iliiford M. Luna,

Birmingham, Ala, assignors to United States Pipe and Foundry Company,Birmingham, Ala, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 19, 1962, er.No. 173,995 9 Claims. (Cl. 22-65) This invention relates to centrifugalcasting apparatus and process, and more specically it relates toimprovements in apparatus and processes for carrying out a process suchas is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,853,755.

In a process of the type to which the invention relates, pipe is cast ina metal mold mounted on a carriage which is movable along itslongitudinal axis. Molten metal is poured into the spinning mold throughan opening in the center of the bell core by means of a horngate. Assoon as the metal has set up sufficiently, the pipe is extracted bymoving the mold longitudinally over a pushout lance which pushes againstthe end of the pipe. The mold is then returned to casting position, anda coating is simultaneously applied by means of a spraying devicemounted in the push-out lance. A new bell core which has been placed ona support around the horngate spout is automatically seated in the moldas the horngate spout enters the returning mold.

In United States Letters Patent No. 3,004,314, there is disclosedapparatus and process which permit the horngate to be withdrawn as soonas molten metal is poured into the mold. This provides increased timefor servicing of the horngate since previously the horngate could not bewithdrawn until the metal had solidified. There is, however, no decreasein the work load on the operating crew.

In order to complete a casting cycle, according to the proceduresdisclosed and claimed in Patent No. 2,853,755 and Patent No. 3,004,314there are many duties which must be performed by the operating crew, forexample, the horngate must be serviced, the core back-up plate must betransferred from the mold to the core setter, a new core must be placedon the core setter, the machine ladle must be filled, the metal must beprepared for easting, and the casting machine operation must be closelyobserved and controlled. If higher casting rates, which are possible dueto the use of a two stroke cycle as contrasted to previous methods whichuse a four stroke cycle, are to be attained, it is apparent that theseduties must be rapidly and efficiently carried out in a very limitedtime and if they are not performed in the time which elapses duringsolidification of the metal, extracting of the pipe and coating of themold then the machine cannot be operated at its maximum rate. In orderto obtain a high rate of production, it is necessary to maintain anoperating crew of two or more men, but even then it is not alwayspossible to prevent delays due to human inefficiencies and deficiencies.

To obtain maximum ernciency and output, the operat ing crew must be keptto a minimum and all unnecessary delays prevented. To accomplish this,the duties which are to be performed manually must be simplified andreduced to a minimum so that they can readily be performed in the shorttime allotted by the rapid casting rate which it is desirable to attain.Accordingly, this invention has for its object the provision of methodsand apparatus pointed to this end.

More specifically, this invention has for its object the provision of anapparatus capable of automatically picking up a core backing plate fromits position of use at the bell end of the mold and transferring it to acore setting mechanism mounted on a horngate spout.

A further object is the provision of a method of operating whereby acore back-up plate may be mechanically transferred from its position ofuse in the mold to a core setting mechanism mounted on the horngate.

A still further object is to provide apparatus and a method of operationwhich will permit either rapid manual or preferably a simple mechanicalplacement of the bell core onto the core setter surrounding the horngatespout.

This invention has other objects that will be apparent from aconsideration of the following description and the specific embodimentshown in the accompanying darwings. Such embodiment will now bedescribed in detail to illustrate the general principles of theinvention, but it is to be understood that such detailed description isnot to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention isdefined by the claims appended hereto. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top view, with broken away portions, of the bell end of acasting machine incorporating the apparatus of this invention, and itillustrates conditions immediately after molten metal has been pouredinto the mold.

FIGURES 4 through 7 are diagrammatic drawings illustrating the varioussteps in the novel process of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side view and FIGURE 3 is a front view of the core ringtransfer arm which is part of the combination making up the apparatus ofthis invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, only the bell portion of the casting machineis shown since the structure of casting machines is well known to thoseskilled in the art, and it is obvious that the present invention may beadapted for use with casting machines of varied designs. Metal mold l isrotatably mounted, by means not shown, in water box 2 and is fitted withmold flange 3. The mold flange is provided with three or morecentrifugal latches 4 evenly spaced around its circumference. One end ofeach centrifugal latch terminates in a hook 7 while the opposite end isprovided with weights 8. Each latch 4 is positioned to permit hook 7 tohook over the lip of the bell flange 3, as shown, when the mold isspinning. In order to keep the hook ends 7 clear of the bell cavityexcept during rotation of the mold, the latches are provided with springbias means, not shown, which hold the latches in the positions shown inFIG. 4 until the bias is overcome by centrifugal force.

Opposite the end of the water box 2 horngate It) is mounted on shifterplate 11 which is movable along track 14 in the direction of thelongitudinal axis of the mold by means of hydraulic cylinder 12. A coresetting means 15 which encircles spout ll?) of horngate ltl rotatablyholds core 16 and core back-up plate 17 about the horngate spout. Theportion of the apparatus described to this point is similar to theapparatus disclosed in said United States Letters Patent 3,004,314 whichmore particularly describes the operation and structure of thecentrifugal core latches and the core setting means.

The horngate shifter plate 11, with horngate 10, is mounted on asecondary shifter plate 18 which may be shifted transversely to thelongitudinal axis of the mold 1 along tracks 19 by suitable means suchas a hydraulic cylinder 42. in addition to the horngate there aremounted on the secondary shifter plate 18 a core ring pick-up means 20and a core ring transfer mechanism 21. The longitudinal axis of both thecore ring pick-up means 20 and core ring shifter mechanism 21 arearranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mold 1 and thehorngate spout 13.

The core ring pick-up means 20 comprises a magnet 22, preferably anelectromagnet which may be energized and example, a fluid driven rotorsuch as a ROTAC.

dcenergized as desired, with a pole face 23 designed to engage andfirmly hold core back-up' plate 17. The magnet 22 is mounted 'at the endof shaft 25 which is rotatably mounted by means of bearing blocks .26. A

coil spring shock absorber 27 is provided to permitthe magnet 22 to movewith respect to shaft 25 for reasons which will be pointed out later.Alternately, the pickup magnet 22 maybe mounted on the piston rod of'apneumatic cylinder. 7

The core ring transfer mechanism comprises an arm 30 mounted on theshaft of a reversible rotor 31, for This arm is shown in more detail inFIGURES 2 and 3. The swing of the arm in either direction is controlledby block 33 encountering adjustablestops 32. Thetransfer head 34 isadjustably mounted in transfer arm 31 by means of bolts 35 to permitadjustment of the overall length of the assembly. The transfer headterminates in two fingers 36 and 37 which are spaced apart toaccommodate a core back-up plate between them. Attached to plate 37 aretwo miniature fluid cylinders 38 which serve to grip the core back-upplate firmly between fingers 36 and 37 so that the core plate may bepicked up and moved from one position to another by rotating the arm 31.

The tracks 19 along which the secondary shifter plate moves in itstransverse shift are mounted on a primary shifter plate 40 which may beshifted along tracks 41 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axisof the mold by means of hydraulic cylinder 43.

In operation the apparatus functions either in response.

to the operators manual controls or preferably the described sequence ofoperation may be brought about automatically by the proper combinationof timers, re-. lays, limit switches, automatic valves, etc., thedetails of which would be obvious to one skilled in the art and are notshown. At the start of a casting cycle the apparatus is situate in therelationship shown in FIGURE 1. The horngate is forward with its spout13 in the mold. A core 16 and core back-up plate 17, which were placedon the core setting mechanism 15 during the previous cycle, are seatedin the bell cavity of the mold. 'Preferably the core setting mechanism15 is mounted on the horngate shifter plate 11 independently ofthehorngate. In addition it is desirable to mount the mechanism 15 on airshock absorbers which permit its movement in the longitudinal directionof the mold. This provides protection against breakage of the core andassures that it will be set firmly in place.

thrown outwardly, and the hook ends 7 lock the core and core back-upplate in position. At this time the molten metal is dumped'into thehorngate 1 0, and from the horngate, it flows into the spinning mold 1where it is evenly distributed over the inside surface of the mold asshown in the drawing. 7

-If desired the horngate shifter plate maybe .moved back during thepouring operation until it is in theposition shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.This makes it pos As the mold is brought up to casting speed, theflyweights 8 of the centrifugal latches '4 are plate moves back towithdraw the horngate spout 13 and core holderlS from the mold, leavingthe core 16 and core ring 17 held inthe mold by centrifugal latches 4.In addition, the secondary shifter'plate 18 moves to the right until thecore ringpick-up means 20 is in alignment with the end of the mold 1.Simultaneously, the fluid cylinder 21' moves the core ring transfer arm30 forward until the spacing between fingers 36 and 37 is in transversealignment withthe core plate 17. After the primary and secondary shifterplates have moved asdescribed, the apparatus is positioned, in therelationship shown in FIGURE 4. It will be noted that there are two corerings in use in the operation of the machine.

The first core ring 17, is held in the mold which is still spinning atthis time, and the second core ring 17', which was the core ring usedduring the previous casting cycle, is held on the core ring pick-upmagnet 22.

At this time, the core ring ,transfer'arm 30 rotates to the left untilthe core .ring 17 is between fingers 36 and 37 as shown in solid lines.The miniature fluid cylinders 38 are activated and the core ringis-firmly held between the end faces of the cylinder rods and finger36.. Fluid cylinder 21 is activated and moves the :core ring transfer[arm 31 forward, to the first position .shown in dash lines, to clearcore ring 17' from the face of the pole face 23. Rotor 31 is nowrotatedto the right until the pick-up arm isiin the second position shown indash lines where the core ring 17' is in longitudinal alignment with andspaced from the horngate spout 13 and the core holder 15. Fluid cylinder21 is reversed and moves the transfer arm back to the third positionshown in dotted lines where the core ring is around the horngate spout.At this point, if a horngate witha short spout is used the 'core' ringwill be seated on the core holder. on the other hand, a horngate withlong spout,

as illustrated, must be shifted forward by means of shifter plate 11,until the core ring is seated on the core holder.

The miniaturefluid cylinders are now reversed to re lease the core ring,the rotor 31 is reversed to return the transfer arm 30 to a verticalposition and the fluid cylinder 21'activated to move the transfermechanism back vto its original position. An alternate arrangementwheresible to distribute the metal impingement over a'larger area of themold in order to prevent overheating of'the landing area and theaccompanying reduction in mold,

life. However, if it is not necessary to do this, such as in casting ofsmaller diameter pipe where theproblem Y is not so great, then a shortspout horngate may be will be the same, except that the horngate shifterplate will become inactive.

As soon as the pour is complete, the primary shifter in the longitudinalmovement of the transfer arm is accomplished by two tandem connectedfluid cylinders as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. Withthis arrangement 'thepiston 122 of cylinder 121 first moves cylinder 123, .which is slidablymounted, forward with the transfer mechanism 30. After the core ring 17has been picked off the pick-up magnet 22, cylinder 123 is activated.

Since the piston rod 124 cannot move, the. cylinder 123 moves forwardand carries with it transfer mechanism 30 to the position desired forplacing the core ring 17' on the core holder. I

When the above operation is completed nothing further happens until themetal in themold solidifies, at which time the mold .drive motor istie-energized and the Simultaneously, the primary of the magnet isagainst the core back-up plate 17 as shown. in FIGURE 6. The springshock absorber 27 provides a positive .pressure against the core ring toassure that the raised portion of the pole face enters the hole in thecenter ofthe core ring. If an electromagnet is used,

we itis energized at this time; andthis locks the magnet to the corering and it rotates with the core ring. Asthe mold coasts to a stop, thecentrifugal latches 4 release the core ring which is then held only bythe pick-up magnet. V

v If cores are to be set manually, the core maybe placed on-the coreholder at any time after the core plate 17' has been transferred to thecore holder. On the other hand, if it is desired to provide automaticcore setting, the last described forward movement of the primary shifterplate provides an excellent opportunity to accomplish this. Referringnow to FIGURE 5, a core 16' is held in position by any suitable means,not shown, so that it is in longitudinal alignment with the horngatespout 13 and core holder 15, and it is longitudinally spaced from thecore holder a distance equal to the distance which the primary shifterplate moves when it shifts forward to accomplish pick up of the corering 17 in the mold. Referring now to FIGURE 6, it is seen that at thesame time the pick-up magnet moves forward to pickup the core ring 17,the core holder 15 moves into the core 16'. The core 16' may be a simpledevice which holds only one core at a time, but permits the operatingcrew to place it there any time during the cycle. It may also comprise adevice which holds several cores at a time and automatically movesanother core into place after a core has been picked up by the coreholder or it may even be an automatic indexing conveyor which may bringthe cores from some other location, for example, the core room.

Turning now to FIGURE 5, the water box 2 is shown moving away from theprimary shifter plate 4. The push-out lance, not shown, mounted at theopposite end of the water box is mounted so that when the water box isin casting position it is spaced a predetermined distance from thespigot end of the mold. This distance is greater than the length of thehorngate spout so that, as shown in FIGURE 7, extraction of the pipedoes not start until the pipe has moved away from the primary shifterplate sutficiently to permit the horngate to be moved into axialalignment with the mold. As soon as the pipe in the mold has madecontact with the push-out lance, the secondary shifter plate 18 moves tothe left. The core ring 17 is now held on the pick-up magnet 23 and thehorngate and the core holder are now in alignment with the mold. Thecore 16' has been removed from whatever means Was used to hold it in theposition shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 and it is now in position to beinserted into the mold for casting of the next pipe.

After the previously cast pipe is extracted and transferred out of thepath of the water box 2, the water box again moves toward the primaryshifter plate to the position shown in FIGURE 1. As it moves into thisposition the horngate spout 113, core 16' and core ring 17 enter themold. At this point, the machine is ready to start a new cycle.

The invention is not limited to the specific embodiments set forth inthe drawings and description which may be modified in different mannerswithin the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Centrifugal casting apparatus comprising:

(A) A cylindrical pipe mold rotatably mounted about its longitudinalaxis,

(B) A support mounted adjacent an end of the mold and movabletransversely and longitudinally with respect to the longitudinal axis ofthe mold,

(C) Shifting means for moving the support from a first transverseposition to a second transverse position with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the mold,

(D) A horngate mounted on said support so as to be aligned with the boreof the mold when the said support is in a first transverse position withrespect to the longitudinal axis of the mold,

(E) Core holding means for rotatably holding a core and core ring aboutthe spout of said horngate coaxially with respect to the longitudinalaxis of the mold when the support is in the first transverse positionwith respect to the longitudinal axis of the mold.

(F) A core ring pick-up means rotatably mounted on said support with itsaxis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mold and which coincideswith the longitudinal axis of the mold when the support is in the secondtransverse position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the mold,

(G) Transfer means for transferring a core ring from the core ringpick-up means to the said core holding means.

(H) Latching means for holding a core and core ring securely in the endof the mold while it is rotating, and

(I) Means for moving the support longitudinally with respect to the moldwhereby said horngate spout and said core holding means are insertedinto and withdrawn from the end of the mold.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the core transfer meanscomprises a reversible rotor, an arm mounted on said rotor, the outerextremity of the arm being provided with spaced apart fingers adapted toreceive a core ring therebetween, and means for securing the core ringbetween the fingers.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the reversible rotor isslidably mounted on said support along a line parallel to the axis ofthe mold and located between the core pick-up means and the horngate,and means for sliding the rotor from a first position wherein thefingers engage a core ring on the core ring pick-up means when the rotoris rotated in one direction to a second position wherein the core ringis removed from the core ring pick-up means and aligned with thehorngate spout when the rotor is rotated in a reverse direction, thecore ring being seated on said core holder when the rotor is returned tosaid first position.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the core ring pick-up meanscomprises an electromagnet mounted on the end of a rotatably mountedshaft.

5. A centrifugal casting apparatus comprising:

(A) A cylindrical pipe mold rotatably mounted about its longitudinalaxis,

(B) A shifter plate adjacent the bell end of a mold and movable in adirection parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mold,

(C) A support mounted on said shifter plate and movable transversely ofthe longitudinal axis of the mold to a first position and a secondposition,

(D) A horngate mounted on said support so that its spout is aligned withthe end of the mold when the support is in said first transverseposition,

(E) Core holding means for rotatably holding a core and core ring aboutthe horngate spout so that they are co-axial with the mold when thesupport is in said first transverse position,

(F) A core ring pick-up means rotatably mounted on said support with itsaxis co-axial with the longitudinal axis of the mold when the support isin said second transverse position, and

(G) Transfer means provided for transferring a core ring from the corering pick-up means to the core holder and being mounted on said supportthere between.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the core transfer meanscomprises a reversible rotor, an arm mounted on said rotor, the outerextremity of the arm being provided with spaced apart fingers adapted toreceive a core ring therebetween, and means for securing the core ringbetween the fingers.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the reversible rotor isslidably mounted on said support along a line parallel to the axis ofthe mold and located between the core pick-up means and the horngate,and means for sliding the rotor from a first position wherein thefingers engage a core ring on the core ring pick-up means when the rotoris rotated in one direction to a second position wherein the core ringis removed from the core ring pickup means and aligned with the horngatespout when the rotor is rotated in a reverse direction, the core ringbeing seated on said core holder when the rotor is returned to saidfirst position.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the core ring pick-up meanscomprises an eleetroniagnet mounted 1,634,914 7/27 Reichold' 2265 on theend of a rotatably mounted shaft. 1 1,735,969 11/29 Hurst et a1 2265 XR9. Apparatus according 'to claim 5 wherein said h0rn-- 2,570,325 10/51Dalton 2265 gate is mounted on a third shifter'plate'which is slidably2,849,769 9/58 Lasater etal. 22 6S mounted on said second shifter platein a direction parallel 5 2,864,138 12/58 Pierce et 211. e 2258.5 to thelongitudinal axis of the mold. I 3,004,314 10/ 61' Beyer 2265 XRReferences Cited by the Examiner MICHAEL V. BRINDISI, Primary Examiner.

UNITEDSTATES PATENTS. 1, 0,191 1 24 Wilson 22156 10 RAY A Examme"

1. CENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A CYLINDRICAL PIPE MOLDROTATABLY MOUNTED ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS, (B) A SUPPORT MOUNTEDADJACENT AN END OF THE MOLD AND MOVABLE TRANSVERSELY AND LONGITUDINALLYWITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MOLD, (C) SHIFTING MEANSFOR MOVING THE SUPPORT FROM A FIRST TRANSVERSE POSITION TO A SECONDTRANSVERSE POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MOLD,(D) A HORNGATE MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT SO AS TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE BOREOF THE MOLD WHEN THE SAID SUPPORT IS IN A FIRST TRANSVERSE POSITION WITHRESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MOLD, (F) CORE HOLDING MEANS FORROTATATBLY HOLDING A CORE AND CORE RING ABOUT THE SPOUT OF SAID HORNGATECOAXIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MOLD WHEN THESUPPORT IS IN THE FIRST TRANSVERSE POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THELONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MOLD. (F) A CORE RING PICK-UP MEANS ROTATABLYMOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT WITH ITS AXIS PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXISOF THE MOLD AND WHICH COINCIDES WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MOLDWHEN THE SUPPORT IS IN THE SECOND TRANSVERSE POSITION WITH RESPECT TOTHE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MOLD, (G) TRANSFER MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING ACORE RING FROM THE CORE RING PICK-UP MEANS TO THE SAID CORE HOLDINGMEANS,